Campaign Focuses on Regular Screening to Stop Colorectal Cancer

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced
the kickoff of the second year of "Screen for Life", the national colorectal cancer
action campaign. The campaign was developed by CDC and the Health Care Financing
Administration (HCFA). Screen for Life informs American men and women about the benefits of
screening for colorectal cancer beginning at age 50. The campaign also stresses that Medicare,
and many insurance plans, help pay for colorectal cancer screening.

During a program held today in Washington, D.C. marking the 35th anniversary of
Medicare, Secretary Shalala urged people aged 50 and older to begin having regular colorectal
cancer screening tests. "Colorectal cancer is second only to lung cancer as a cause of
cancer deaths among American men and women. But it doesn’t have to be," Shalala said.
"With Medicare and many insurance plans now helping to pay for colorectal cancer
screening, we have a tremendous opportunity to save thousands of lives."

Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General David A. Satcher, M.D., also called on
Americans 50 and older to have regular colorectal cancer screening tests. "Regular
screening tests can help prevent colorectal cancer or find it early, when treatment is most
effective," he said. "I urge all Americans aged 50 and older to speak to your doctor
about having a screening test. It could save your life."

It is estimated that 130,200 men and women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this
year, and more than 56,000 lives will be lost to this disease. Most cases, 93 percent, occur
in men and women over age 50.

Studies show that at least 33 percent of deaths from colorectal cancer could be avoided if
people 50 and older had regular screening tests. Screening helps reduce deaths from colorectal
cancer in two ways: by finding precancerous polyps that can be removed before they become
cancer, and by finding colorectal cancer early, when treatment is most effective.

"Clearly, this is a cancer we can do something about," said CDC Director Jeffrey
P. Koplan, M.D. "If more people 50 and older began having regular screening tests, we
could see a dramatic decrease in the number of new cases and the number of deaths from this
disease."

Most Americans 50 and older do not get screening tests for colorectal cancer. According to
a 1997 CDC survey, only 41 percent of adults 50 and older reported having had one of the two
commonly recommended screening tests—fecal occult blood test or flexible sigmoidoscopy —
within the recommended time frame.

CDC, the nation’s disease prevention agency within DHHS, protects the nation’s health
and safety, provides credible information for better health decisions and promotes good health
through strong partnerships. Other CDC activities to prevent colorectal cancer include
providing funds for prevention strategies at the state and national levels, development of
epidemiological research and surveillance systems for monitoring national trends, and
coordination of a national roundtable to prevent colorectal cancer.

HCFA is the federal agency that runs the Medicare and Medicaid programs — two national
health care programs that benefit about 75 million Americans. Passage of the Balanced Budget
Act of 1997 authorized Medicare coverage of new preventive health benefits, including
colorectal cancer screening. Shortly after the passage of that Act, HCFA joined with CDC to
begin developing "Screen for Life". For more information about the "Screen for
Life" colorectal cancer prevention campaign, visit http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/screenforlife.
For more information about colorectal cancer screening, call the National Cancer Institute’s
Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER. To order Screen for Life campaign materials,
call 1-888-842-6355. For more information about Medicare coverage of colorectal cancer
screening, visit http://www.medicare.gov.